Claude Opus 4.5 vs Gemini 3.6 Flash

Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.

Gemini 3.6 Flash by Google wins on 7 of 8 benchmarks against Claude Opus 4.5 by Anthropic, which leads on 1. This head-to-head comparison covers coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing metrics from our benchmark data.

Category-by-Category Breakdown

Coding: In coding, Gemini 3.6 Flash scores 1305 on Design Arena ELO compared to Claude Opus 4.5's 1242, while Gemini 3.6 Flash scores 1312 on Website Arena ELO compared to Claude Opus 4.5's 1259.

Reasoning: In reasoning, Gemini 3.6 Flash scores 92.8% on GPQA Diamond compared to Claude Opus 4.5's 86.5%, while Claude Opus 4.5 scores 77.0% on τ²-Bench Airline compared to Gemini 3.6 Flash's 73.0%.

Context: In context, Gemini 3.6 Flash scores 1.0M on Context Length compared to Claude Opus 4.5's 200K.

Pricing Comparison

Claude Opus 4.5 costs $5.0/1M input tokens and $25.0/1M output tokens, while Gemini 3.6 Flash costs $0.75/1M input and $3.8/1M output. Gemini 3.6 Flash is the more affordable option for API usage.

Verdict

Gemini 3.6 Flash leads across the board in affordability, making it the stronger overall choice in this comparison.

Claude Opus 4.5 vs Gemini 3.6 Flash — FAQ

Which is better, Claude Opus 4.5 or Gemini 3.6 Flash?

Gemini 3.6 Flash wins on more benchmarks overall (7 vs 1). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.

How does Claude Opus 4.5 compare to Gemini 3.6 Flash for coding?

SWE-bench Verified data is not available for both models. Check the detailed comparison charts above for other coding-related metrics.

Is Claude Opus 4.5 cheaper than Gemini 3.6 Flash?

Yes, Gemini 3.6 Flash is cheaper. Claude Opus 4.5 costs $5.0/1M input and $25.0/1M output tokens. Gemini 3.6 Flash costs $0.75/1M input and $3.8/1M output tokens.

Which is faster, Claude Opus 4.5 or Gemini 3.6 Flash?

Output speed data is not available for both models. Check the speed section of the comparison above for available performance data.

What benchmarks does the Claude Opus 4.5 vs Gemini 3.6 Flash comparison cover?

This comparison covers 8 benchmarks including GPQA Diamond, Input Cost, Output Cost, Context Length, Cached Input Cost, Design Arena ELO, τ²-Bench Airline, Website Arena ELO. Metrics span general intelligence, coding, math, reasoning, speed, and cost categories.